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“Where’s the nobility in patching up a bunch of old tables and chairs? Corrosive to the soul, quite possibly. I’ve seen too many estates not to know that. Idolatry! Caring too much for objects can destroy you. Only—if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? And isn’t the whole point of things—beautiful things—that they connect you to some larger beauty?”
― The Goldfinch
― The Goldfinch
“And, in this staunch little portrait, it’s hard not to see the human in the finch. Dignified, vulnerable. One prisoner looking at another. But who knows what Fabritius intended? There’s not enough of his work left to even make a guess. The bird looks out at us. It’s not idealized or humanized. It’s very much a bird. Watchful, resigned. There’s no moral or story. There’s no resolution. There’s only a double abyss: between painter and imprisoned bird; between the record he left of the bird and our experience of it, centuries later.”
― The Goldfinch
― The Goldfinch
“All of Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Gospels can be summarized with one word: ask.”
― A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
― A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
“Keep it simple' wasn't always the right response. Many things that boosted my happiness also added complexity to my life. Having children. Learning to post videos to my website. Going to an out-of-town wedding. Applied too broadly, my impulse to 'Keep it simple' would impoverish me. 'Life is barren enough surely with all her trappings,' warned Samuel Johnson, 'let us therefore by cautious how we strip her.”
― Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life
― Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life
“Sometimes in church circles, we talk more about contentment (which is a good thing) but it can minimize the importance of ambition—that somehow it is more spiritual for Christians to be passive. This misunderstanding had slowed me down to the point where I wasn’t moving ahead at all. I learned that ambition is really a desire to grow. I realized that in order for me to obey God’s call to be “fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28), I needed to stop shutting down ambition just because I was afraid to be disappointed. The Hebrew word pārâ in that verse means “to bear fruit, to grow, to increase.”2 This is the essence of ambition—it’s the desire to step forward, to take risks, and expand our lives, instead of shrinking back.”
― The Measure of Success: Uncovering the Biblical Perspective on Women, Work, and the Home
― The Measure of Success: Uncovering the Biblical Perspective on Women, Work, and the Home
Books on the Nightstand
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— last activity May 26, 2026 06:54PM
A group to discuss books and topics mentioned on Books on the Nightstand, a blog and podcast about books and reading.
Andrea’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Andrea’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
503 books
|
62 friends
371 books
|
52 friends
282 books
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11 friends
262 books
|
155 friends
790 books
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35 friends
292 books
|
118 friends
193 books
|
24 friends
1,836 books
|
23 friends
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